


3am

by orphan_account



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Hurt Peter, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Mentioned May Parker (Spider-Man), Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Angst, Peter Parker Feels, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Peter Parker Has Issues, Peter Parker Has Nightmares, Peter Parker Has Panic Attacks, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker in Love, Peter Parker is a Mess, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, What Have I Done, Why Did I Write This?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2020-03-10 01:21:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18928429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Peter has decided that being awake at 3am is some kind of torture.





	3am

**Author's Note:**

> a little bit of angsty peter, but you all pretty much knew that was coming :)  
> * Peter can't sleep because Liz broke his heart, and he confides in Tony, because May just wouldn't understand.

Peter has decided that being awake at 3am is some kind of torture.

The world around him is asleep, so why can't he do it too? Is it his heightened senses holding him back, or is it something more?

Peter can't shake the feeling that something is wrong with him. He should be sleeping. Sleep is needed to... well, _survive_. Mr. Stark would want him to sleep, but he just can't do it tonight. Something is keeping his mind buzzing with new ideas, his fears and his hopes, and he doesn't like it at such a late hour as this.

He gets up and looks out of his room, making sure that May didn't fall asleep on the couch again. Peter has been worrying about her a lot more lately, she seems to be taking extra shifts and having later nights. He refocuses his mind to where he is going. He grabs his suit quickly and pulls it on as fast as he can, almost knocking over a stack of papers on his way out.

Peter quietly closes the door and walks down the hall, cautious of anyone else who may be awake. It'd be a dead giveaway if people figured out Spider-Man lived in the same apartment complex as Peter Parker. He thinks about this and sighs, just wanting to get over to Stark's place fast.

\---

Peter finally makes it to Mr. Stark's bedside at about 4am. He looks around for Pepper, but she must be on a business trip again. "Mr. Stark," Peter whispers, shaking the snoring man, "I- I can't sleep tonight, something's wrong." Peter sighs as he realizes what he's doing. He's being a _problem_ again. Some nights he comes here because of nightmares, but this time it's different and he's not sure what he should say when Tony wakes up.

"Pete? What time is it?" Mr. Stark sits up groggily, and wonders what the _hell_ the kid is doing here at this time in the night. Could it be nightmares again? Probably.

"Mr. Stark... I- I can't sleep." Peter says quietly and watches as Tony's expression softens.

"That's ok, kid. I'll go make some hot chocolate so we can both get a little more sleepy, yeah?" Peter nods and walks with Mr. Stark into the kitchen, feeling the embarrassment settle on his cheeks because of coming here in the middle of the night for _hot chocolate_. Tony needs sleep, Peter knows this. He knows that Tony keeps himself up most nights, waiting for the sun to come while he's tinkering away.

"Mr. Stark, I'm really sorry for coming so late tonight. I know that you need your sleep and I just didn't know who else to talk to because May has been so busy lately that-" Mr. Stark sets the cup in front of him with a small _clunk_. 

"You don't have to be sorry, Peter. Really..." Mr. Stark yawns and takes a sip of his while they sit down on the couch.

"No, you don't understand. I'm a problem, and I'm really sorry for that. Lately, there's been this numbness that has kind of just... settled in me." Peter whispers the last part and immediately regrets saying anything. 

Tony's head snaps up to look at Peter. "Numbness? What numbness?" _Jesus Christ_. If he would have known that Peter was feeling this bad he would've contacted May or even helped Pete himself.

"I- I don't know. I'm sorry, I sh-shouldn't have brought it up. It was stupid, I'm sorry." Peter backtracks and Tony mentally smacks himself in the face. He was worrying too much. Peter could sense it and the kid didn't want to be a problem again, which sent a pang to his heart.

"No, Peter. Dealing with some feeling like that... well, once you fall down that hole you're bound to hit the bottom sometime... Trust me, it's _not_ fun." Tony tries to sympathize with Pete, but he can tell it's not much help. "Look, I'm not good at this kind of thing." He gestures between them. "But we can both get better if you just _talk to me_."

Peter looks up and Tony notices just how _small_ the boy is against this couch. How is he supposed to know how to talk to a kid? Especially when he's spiraling into depression on top of nightmares and panic attacks. 

 _Please don't turn out like me_ , Tony thinks as he takes the finished cup of hot chocolate from Pete.

"I-I'm sorry." Peter's lip quivers and his eyes dart around the carpet. "I'm not good at this either. Talking about my feelings... _it really scares me, Tony_." Peter's voice cracks and Tony feels his heart break a little, noticing how this was the first time he had ever called him Tony, and the first time he had ever seen someone so _broken_.

"How about... how about we start with how you are feeling today?" Tony suggests and Peter gives a small nod, breathing out.

"I- I saw her again today. Actually, I see her _everyday_ -"

"Who's this so called 'her'?" Tony interrupts, but he immediately regrets it when he sees the pain in Peter's face. He practically winces as he thinks about everything that happened.

"L-Liz. Liz Allen. She and I... well, we dated for a while, I guess." The room is silent for a little while Peter thinks, and Tony just waits, giving him all the time he needs. He doesn't want him upset. "She, um... she broke up with me?" Peter's voice cracks and Tony's heart aches for the kid. His first heartbreak. "She- She said that I wasn't making enough time for her, that I always disappeared... she thought... she thought I was cheating on her. I would _never_ do that to her, I loved her too much."

As Peter puts the 'ed' on to love, he realizes that he is telling all of this to Tony Stark. He didn't need to hear this, he needed to sleep, he had better things to do than listen to Peter's heartaches about his first love. Though Peter would never confess that the whole two weeks after Liz had broken up with him, he cried himself to sleep each night, knowing that if he couldn't be enough for Liz to stay, how the hell was he supposed to keep everyone else in his life when he was worthless to them? 

"You've should've met her, Mr. Stark. She's kind, brave, funny and smart. She- She was the only person I truly trusted other than Ned, and even sometimes I don't tell him things." Peter's face is streaming with tears, and his heart feels like it's being squeezed tightly by just thinking about her. "I miss her so much, Mr. Stark. If I'm not enough for her, how am I supposed to keep everyone else in my life?"

_Tony's heart sinks._

"Kid, look at me ok?" Peter looks up, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "You are _more_ than enough. _Hell_ , you're _Spider-Man_." Pete's eyes glisten and his eyes drift to the window. The sunrise shines through the blinds and bright orange and yellow dance around the floor and walls of the compound.

"I should go soon." Peter says quietly, still mesmerized by the sun. Panic reaches his face. "Aunt May is going to kill me."

 

**Author's Note:**

> I usually am working on and posting chapters to two different stories but um, this came out of nowhere and I just wanted to post it,  
> hope you enjoyed <3


End file.
